In all things lawful and honest….

I have always thought that this is a somewhat of a ‘have your cake and eat it’ phrase. It comes from the oath of Canonical Obedience made to a Bishop at ordinations and institutions/licencing in the Church of England. Many a priest says it in quite a telling way looking directly into the bishop’s eyes as he does so! It is a double-edged sword as some of what is unlawful in the Church of England may actually be theologically and morally sound; and conversely some of what is lawful can considered theologically and morally unsound.

The General Synod has, in the past week, agreed that there is no legal impediment to a divorced and remarried priest becoming a Bishop. You will note from that the absence of any mention of theological or moral impediments, of which there are many. Our Lord’s teaching on divorce and remarriage (Mark 10:1-12 - as is that contained in today’s Gospel Reading) is quite clear as is the Apostolic teaching on the marriage of the clergy: “Now a bishop must be above reproach…..the husband of but one wife…” (1 Tim 3:2). The phrase ‘the husband of but one wife” cannot be made to mean to mean ‘not a polygamist’ as polygamy was virtually unknown amongst the Greek and Roman communities to which Paul was writing. In Greek there is no word for husband and the text in Greek Mias gunaikos andra would be literally translated as ‘a man of one woman.’

In response to the Apostle Paul’s teaching the Orthodox Churches (which permit a married man to be ordained) uphold the practice that if his wife predeceases him a priest (or Deacon) should remain celibate and abstinent for the remainder of his life. The same principle is observed in the Roman Catholic Church with regard to married Deacons. The General Synod may see fit to declare that there is no legal impediment to a divorced and remarried priest being consecrated bishop, but it seems yet once more to have chosen to close it’s mind to the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church of which it claims to be a part.